The Cellist
by XxLynChanxX
Summary: Sequel to 'Never Mind'. Vinyl Scratch thought that living with a cellist roommate would prevent any feelings for the grey mare. Well, ponies have been wrong before. Living with the constant fear that Octavia will discover her secret, Vinyl becomes a pony she never wanted to be. A poser. A fake. How can she be herself and still impress the cellist?
1. Knowing Octy

I walked back and forth across the dorm room, glancing at the clock whenever I could. Ever since the Club Canterlot incident with Thunderlane, I didn't trust Octy to be out by herself. She wasn't used to the rough streets like I was. If anything happened to her, she couldn't protect herself.

The thought of Octy in an ally with that creep, Concerto, hovering over her made me want to run out and find her, but I figured she would just be pretty pissed if I did that. Instead, I paced. My hooves clicked and clacked against the floor, driving me insane, but at least I was concentration on something other than Octy.

_You know she doesn't love you._ A voice at the back of my mind taunted. _She may be into mares, but she doesn't love you. She probably wants Lyra._

"Lyra has that Bon Bon filly," I said aloud, trying to push the thoughts out of my head.

_Then maybe she wants Bee Bop._

"After what she tried to do to Octy's reputation? I don't think so," I scoffed. I tried to ignore the fact that I was talking to myself. Octy always said that talking to yourself meant you were going insane. I stared at the walls, the doors, and even the carpeting in the bedroom. I did anything to keep my mind off of Octavia.

The door creaked and my ears perked up, twitching for the sounds of ponies.

"Octy, is that you?" I called out, even though I knew it was Octy. Nopony else had the key to the dorm. I didn't wait for a response. I just bounded over to the door, pushing the negative thoughts out of my head.

**_~XoXo~_**

I sat on the couch, waiting for Octy to just open her mouth and tell me what was going on. I had a pretty good idea of what she would say; it was just saying it that was the problem. She would tell me that she knew I was in love with her. I would counter with some sarcastic joke about her flank. She would tell me to be serious. I would shut my trap. She would tell me that she was honored, but she didn't feel the same way and she probably never would. I would act chill, and then cry myself to sleep.

"Octavia, are we talking or not?" I snapped impatiently. If she was going to break my heart into a million pieces, she could at least be respectful and do it quickly instead of stringing me along. The grey mare looked up at me, her lavender eyes twinkling in the dim lamp lighting. Her dull grey and black coloring made her eyes look even brighter, and for a second, I didn't care that she was about to ruin my life. She smiled an adorable little half smile and looked up at me.

"Never mind,"

I looked at her, my face screaming 'what the actual buck'. At first, I thought I was missing something. She might have said something while I was busy staring at her eyes.

"Come again?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Never mind," Octavia repeated. "It's not that important anymore," I wanted to hug her and kick her at the same time. She wasn't rejecting me before I could even ask, but she had scared the crap out of me.

"Octy, please tell me you're bucking with me," I wasn't in the mood to be messed with. Octy had made this talk sound like the most important thing since the invention of dubtrot, and now she was acting like we were discussing something lame, like science.

"I am not, and I would appreciate you not using that foul language. If you'll excuse me, I would like to go to bed. I've had a very…complicated evening." Octavia's eyes darted to the door.

"This isn't cool. You said we were going to talk, so let's talk." Octy made her way to the bedroom and I concentrated really hard. In a flash of blue, Octy was right above the couch, covered with a blue bubble…thing.

"Vinyl Scratch, you release me this instant!" Octy yelled.

"I would but I have no idea what I'm doing," I taunted. "Now let's talk,"

"There's nothing to say, really. I just thought I should tell you that…" Octavia looked around the room, her lavender eyes settling on my flank. "I want to know about your cutie mark!" She blurted. I looked down at the backwards bridged eight note stamped on my flank and heard a soft 'humph' as Octavia fell to the couch.

"You want to know about my cutie mark?" I asked, disbelieving. My cutie mark story was probably the most boring cutie mark story in all of Equestria.

"Of course," Octavia smoothed down a stray piece of her mane. "Seeing as we're very good…friends, I would like to know how you found your special talent. I'll tell you my story, if you'd like."

"It's nothing interesting, honest." I shrugged. "I'll tell you tomorrow, I guess. I mean, it's late and I'm tired and you're tired and..." I stopped myself, biting my tongue to keep from rambling on.

"That sounds lovely," Octavia avoided making eye contact, her eyes lingering on the bedroom door. "If that's all…"

"Yeah, I guess that's it. We can go to bed now." We both looked at each other as what I had just said sunk in.

"Well…um…"

"I mean separately! We'll be in our own beds…alone…by ourselves and not together!" Octavia's nose crinkled as she held back a laugh.

"I knew what you meant, silly filly," Octavia smiled. "The phrasing was a bit funny is all." I bit my tongue to keep from replying and Octavia made her way into the bedroom. I followed behind her, trying not to watch the way her flank swayed as she walked. I tried to ignore the sweet lavender shampoo smell that wafted off her mane. I tried to ignore that weird fluttery feeling in my chest as I watched her curl up into bed, adjusting her covers so that every inch of her body was warm.

_I love you, Octy. You don't know it yet, but I love you._ I thought as I curled up into my own bed. My eyes drooped and before long I was asleep, my dreams dancing with images of the cellist.


	2. To Be A Filly

The week following Octy's 'never mind' incident seemed to drag on forever. Even with the sweet release I got from dubtrot, the week sucked. Every one of my boring classes decided that they needed to give us even_more_ homework to prepare for exams, and Octy was no help.

"You need to do your own homework, or you'll never learn," she said after I asked her for the millionth time.

"But it's _boring_!" I whined. "It's hard, too."

"Then you should pay attention in class. I have the same level classes as you, and I get the same work. I have no trouble with any of it."

"That's because you're a bucking genius," I grumbled. "You understand everything."

"I just pay attention and take notes," Octy replied. "How about we take a break? I can tell you my cutie mark story if you'd like." She smiled at me and I released the magical hold on the book I was supposed to be reading.

"Sounds great!" I trotted to the bedroom and plopped myself on the bed. Octavia was more dignified, choosing to walk in and curl up neatly on her bed, making sure her hooves were placed so they wouldn't fall asleep.

"Are you ready? It's a rather simple story, but I think even you would find it interesting."

"Anything is more interesting than the reproductive system of a griffon." I adjusted myself so I was in a better 'listening-to-Octy' position and watched her, waiting for her to begin.

"Well, it all started when I was a very young filly. I would see my mother playing all sorts of instruments and I would want to play them too. She played the cello as my lullaby, and I wanted so badly to be able to play like her.

"I remember asking my father to buy me a cello one year for my birthday. He told me I was much too small for a cello, and that was the end of the matter. I didn't argue with my parents. Well, that night, I heard my mother tell my father that I was sad while she played my lullaby. My father told her that I wanted a cello and that he had said no. I sat by their door all night listening to my mother argue about how I should have something to play." Octavia stopped for a moment, a small smile across her face.

"Did he buy you a cello or something?" I asked, unable to sit patiently. Octy shook her head at my foalishness, but she continued on.

"I fell asleep at their door and when my father woke me up, he presented me with a violin. At first, I was upset. I told him that he had the wrong instrument. He laughed and told me that he was starting me off with the violin to see if I could play. He worried for me. My mother, as you know, is a unicorn. Her magic helped her to play. My father, being an earth pony like myself, knew that earth ponies have a hard time doing things that unicorns find simple. He was afraid that I would be unable to play the violin. He thought I would fail and be heartbroken.

"I remember how happy I was when my mother started teaching me to play. It was harder for her because she had to teach me how to hold the violin instead of how to levitate it, but she figured it out in the end. I was horrible at first; the notes sounded like hoof-tips on a chalkboard. I got better in time, but it took me almost a year to be able to play a simple lullaby."

"Did you ever get your cello?" I asked. The cello was what made her Octy. I had grown so used to her fawning over her cello that hearing her talk about a violin in the same way made me feel like she was betraying her instrument.

"I'm getting to that," Octy snapped. "When I was able to play the perfect lullaby, I called my parents into the sitting room. My father, who had always been out with a client when I practiced, was prepared for the worst. My mother, who I had excluded after six months, was expecting nothing more than a few short notes. I think I shocked them both when I started to play.

"I did a simple lullaby. It was nothing more than that. I eased through the notes and, when I was done, I felt this surge of joy. My parents applauded and I felt this...spark go through me. I looked down and saw my cutie mark, this treble clef, resting on my flank as though it had been there all my life."

"That explains a lot," I nodded. I had always wondered why Octy didn't have a bass clef. I didn't know much about classical instruments, but I knew for sure that cello was in bass. "It suits you," I added. "I can't see you as anything else but a classical music musician." Octy smiled, but looked down, trying to seem modest.

"You have to tell me your story now," she said suddenly. "You promised me you would tell me, and now you have to live up to that promise."

"I have to study, remember?" I stuck my tongue out. "I'll tell you the story later."

"But I want to hear it now!" Octy whined. "It's been bothering me since I met you! Why is it backwards? Bridged eighth-notes go the other way!"

"I'll tell you when all this homework is done." To prove my point, I left the room and sat at the table, levitating one of my millions of books in front of me, pretending to read.

"I'll help you if you swear to tell me as soon as it's all finished!" the cellist pleaded. I had never actually seen her this desperate to know something.

"I don't know...there's so much work to get done..."

"Vinyl Scratch, we both know that this is just a setup so that I'll do your work for you. I am offering to do half, just because I want so badly to know why your mark is mirrored. I will do no more than half."

"Deal," I stuck out a hoof. "That's like, five billion things out of the way." Octy took my hoof in hers, rolling her pretty lavender eyes. Celestia, how I loved her eyes.

"There's not that much. I'll take the science and math stuff. You still have to do History, Musical Theory, and Equestrian Ancient Languages."

"Octy, you are a lifesaver." I sighed, pulling half of the mountain of work towards me. "Seriously, I don't know where I would be without you."

"Knowing you, prison seems like the best bet. That or some random stallion's bed. Or mare, considering." I gave Octy a shove, trying not to hurt her. The 'random stallion's bed' comment was too close to home for me, but I tried to shake it off. It was a long time ago, and it didn't matter anymore. It wouldn't matter, because it would never happen again. I had Octy, even if she didn't really know she was mine yet.

"You said your mom used to play you a lullaby." I looked to the cello that Octy kept in the room. It wasn't as nice as the one she had for class, but it was still pretty expensive. "Could you maybe play it for me sometime? You don't have to, but maybe I can remix it like I did with Palladio..."

"I'll play it after exams are over, as a reward for you trying so hard," Octy promised. Her face lit up in a sweet smile and I had to force myself not to lean in and kiss her. Her mane was slightly disheveled from just being alive and moving around. Her coat was perfect and glossy. I found myself just staring at her for what felt like hours.

_She doesn't like you. Get that through your head. Find another mare. Somepony else will have to like you because Octavia will never be your marefriend._

"I know," I said aloud. Octy looked at me with her head cocked to one side.

"Pardon?"

"I know the answer to this question," I said quickly. "San Stallitonio won its independence from Mexicolt." Octy didn't answer, but I could tell she wanted to facehoof. I gave her a cheesy grin, and, sure as Celestia bringing up the sun, her hoof met her face in an act of embarrassment.

"Read your book," she said with a roll of her eyes. I propped the book in front of me and stared blankly at the pages, trying to learn something. When that didn't work, I levitated my shades from the bedroom and put them on so I could watch Octy do my homework. The little quirks that made her Octy were more obvious when she thought nopony was watching her. The way her hoof tapped the table as she read. The way her tongue poked out the left side of her mouth while she wrote, and out the right side while she thought what to write. When she wasn't watching her appearance, she was a _real_ pony. She had imperfections that made her perfect. She had flaws that created something beautiful. She wasn't Octavia Philharmonica, the prestigious Canterlot mare. She was Octy, the perfectly imperfect mare.

I could have watched her study all day, with no complaints, but for some reason Celestia had decided to curse me with eternal bad luck. Just as I was getting into a nice rhythm of tapping my hoof in harmony with hers (which is pretty hard since the table doesn't change pitch), somepony banged on our door.

"I'll get it," I jumped up from the table and lifted my glasses to the top of my head so they were resting on my horn. I pulled the door open with a small stream of magic and turned my head to the side.

"Who're you?" I asked. The pony in front of me was light brown earth pony stallion with a black mane and tail. His eyes were green, and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to smash me into the ground and grind me up into a bloody DJ carpet.

"Is Octavia here?"

"Who're you?" I said again. "We didn't get any information about you coming down here."

"I would like to see Octavia, if she is here," the stallion said again, refusing to answer my question.

"Octy! Some pony is here looking for you!" I called, not breaking eye contact with the stallion at the door. We gave each other death glares until Octy trotted up beside me.

"Hello, father," she said calmly. "I was wondering when you would be paying us a visit."


	3. Upsetting News

The stallion, who went by 'Gavel' and refused to let me call him 'Mr. Philharmonica', sat on our sofa, sipping his tea as he stared at me. Octy kept asking him questions about work, and I glanced at his cutie mark. A gavel over a briefcase. Well that was unhelpful.

"How did the lawsuit between Fleur de Lis and Hoity Toity go?" Octy was asking.

"She won, though it was almost impossible for her to lose. Judge Swift Decision couldn't resist her...temptation." Gavel shuddered and Octy took a seat across from him. I tapped a hoof on the side table, my patience running low. Octy sensed my discomfort and turned to her father.

"What brings you here? I assume mother sent you to confirm that I am, indeed, a fillyfooler?"

"I am here to meet this 'demon' you have as a roommate." I almost lashed out at him, but I could hear the light chuckle issuing from the stallion. He looked up at me and smiled. "May I ask your name? You already know I am Gavel Philharmonica."

"Vinyl Scratch, but I DJ as DJ Pon-3." I held out a hoof. Gavel took it in his own and gave it a firm shake. Octy looked pleased to see us getting along.

"I must admit, the music you played at the concert was enjoyable, even for an old stallion such as myself."

"You...you like my dubtrot?" For a moment, I was in disbelief. After the shock passed, I looked to Octy.

"**I ****_told_**** you everypony digs my wubs!"** I shouted. I jump up and did a foalish flank wiggle, slapping my hoof just below my cutie mark. "Kiss it!"

"_Vinyl!_" Octy gasped, trying to return me to my seat. Her face was turning red as she tugged hopelessly on my tail. "Stop that this instant!"

"Now, Octavia, you don't intend to...kiss it?" Gavel's lip wobbled as he held back a laugh. I strung a hoof around the stallion's shoulders.

"Gavy, you're pretty cool. How is Miss Stick-Up-Her-Rump related to you?"

"I assure you, he's much more dignified when Mother is around," Octy grumbled. Gavel cleared his throat, suddenly becoming serious. Even I returned to my seat, the grin wiped from my face.

"That brings me to my second reason for the unannounced visit." Gavel waited until Octy was in a seated position beside me before he continued. "Octavia, darling, you know how your mother feels about fillyfoolers and coltcuddlers."

"Is this about my being disowned?" Octy asked. "Because if that is the case-"

"No, Octavia. You are not being disowned as long as I have any say in it. This is something far less serious than you being part of the will. Your mother and I have had one argument too many. You see, she feels that you should not be our daughter legally anymore due to your...disease. I, on the other hoof, say that you are still the same mare you were before you left home."

"What are you trying to say, Father?" I looked to my roommate and put a hoof around her shoulders, holding her against me in a friendly hug. She smelled of lavender and I could feel her body shaking.

"Octavia, your mother and I are no longer going to continue our marriage. There was a time when I cared for Serenada. I loved her dearly, but if she refuses to call you our daughter, I refuse to call her my wife."

There were a million things Octy could have done. I expected her to shout, or argue as to why they should make the relationship work. I even thought she might agree that it was the best thing to do at this point. Instead, she buried her face into my neck and sobbed.

"Octy, it's gonna be okay," I whispered as I stroked her mane. "You'll be alright." The cellist continued to sob.

"Octavia, this doesn't mean I don't still love you. It's because I love you that I don't want to continue my marriage with your mother. She said terrible things about you, and I don't want to live with anypony who is going to insult my only daughter."

Octy lifted her head off my shoulders, her eyes slightly red and my shoulder slightly damp.

"I'm sorry about my reaction," Octy said, her voice shaky. "It's just a shock. You and mother seemed so happy when I was a foal."

"We were happy, darling, but now that you've made a very grown-up decision, your mother can't handle it." Gavel approached his daughter and nuzzled her lightly. "You'll be alright, Octavia. You're a strong mare. You've always been strong."

"I love you, Papa," Octy said through her tears. "When you see Mother, tell her I love her too, even if she now hates me."

"She loves you," I said suddenly. "She thinks she hates you, but she loves you. You're still her daughter. Fillyfooler or not, you're still her daughter, and nopony could ever hate her own daughter."

"Very well put, Vinyl," Gavel said with a small smile. Octy looked at me and put her hooves around me in a hug. I returned the hug, the only thought on my mind being that she needed somepony to listen to her and care about her. She didn't need a marefriend right now, and she wouldn't need one for a while yet. Right now, she just needed a friend, and I was determined to be there for her.


	4. St Hooftrick's Day

_I threw back another glass of cider, nodding my head in time to the beats that were pounding behind me. The barstallion knew I was a bit too young to be drinking- anypony could tell I was only fifteen- but he kept sliding a fresh glass my way when I asked._

_The barstallion slid something at me and I was about to down it when I realized that it wasn't cider._

_"I didn't order this," I said over the noise. "I've been gettin' nothing but cider."_

_"It's from him." The stallion nodded his head towards the end of the bar. A unicorn stallion with round shades looked over towards me. He lowered his glasses, revealing bright blue eyes, and winked. At first, he looked like a total dork. He was wearing a stupid black shirt and a white tie. He was either white or blue- I couldn't tell with all the flashing lights- and his mane was cut in the choppy style that most stallions wore._

_I must have stared too long because he left his seat and plopped down next to me. He was blue, not white, and he smelled like cider._

_"How old are you?" he asked._

_"Fifteen," I replied. "Why?"_

_"Club Canterlot ain't supposed to sell to anypony under eighteen," the stallion said with a smirk._

_"My dad owns the joint."_

_"Get outta here, you ain't Rec's kid." The stallion raised his glasses magically so they rested on his horn. I stuck out my hoof and smirked._

_"Vinyl Scratch, flesh and blood daughter of Record Scratch."_

_"Neon Lights, weekend DJ down at Buck It." The unicorn bumped his hoof against mine._

_"Why are you here if you work at Buck It?"_

_"Rec offered me a job for when I finish school," Lights replied. "I'm a sophpony in high school, but after that Imight go to that Canterlot Music Academy place, and then I'll work here."_

_"How old are_****you_?" I asked in surprise. At first glance, Lights looked to be nearly nineteen._

_"Sixteen, but I just turned. You're a sophpony too though, right? How come I haven't seen you at school?"_

_"I'm actually a freshpony," I admitted. "I uh...sorta failed the eighth grade, so I didn't get to high school until this year." Lights nodded, and I wished he would take off his glasses. I had a feeling he was looking me up and down._

_"Where's your coltfriend?" he asked suddenly. "And why'd he let you just come up to the bar alone?"_

_"You tell me." I shrugged, not caring to explain that I had never had a coltfriend before in my life. Lights chuckled and I downed the drink he had ordered for me. It was pretty weak stuff, but it tasted amazing. Lights slammed a few bits on the counter and the barstallion replaced them with another drink. I levitated it and poured its contents down my throat._

**_~XoXo~_**

_I stumbled after Lights as he fumbled to flip the lights on. When he finally managed, I squinted at the brightness._

_"Here." Lights slammed a pair of sunglasses onto my face and everything was covered in a light purple haze. "Those suit you."_

_"Thanks," I giggled. I collapsed onto something soft and Lights lay beside me, running his hoof though my mane, across my shoulder, down my side, along my flank..._

_"You're pretty hot, Scratch," Lights said softly. I stiffened, unsure of how to respond. My brain was fuzzy and it couldn't tell me what was happening. I didn't know what I was doing, but my mouth said:_

_"You're pretty hot yourself, Lights." The next thing I did was even stranger. I found myself lips to lips with Lights, our tongues locked in a battle for dominance. I didn't notice that Lights was no longer wearing his stupid shirt. I didn't care that his hooves danced across my body. I didn't feel the slightest bit of worry as he asked if what he was doing- what we were doing- was okay._

**_~XoXo~_**

_The next morning, I woke to a throbbing in my head and a throbbing between my legs. My eyes forced themselves open and Lights smiled at me._

_"You alright, babe?" he asked, levitating the glasses from last night to my face._

_"I have to go," I said simply. "Dad is probably pissed- I've never stayed out all night without permission."_

_"If you gotta go, you gotta go," Lights said sadly. "But I'll look for you at school." My stomach lurched as I thought of Bee Bop, my marefriend, and how I had pretty much made a secret relationship an awkward impossibility. I would have to go public as soon as possible._

_"See you around." I dashed from the room, not bothering to say goodbye. It wasn't until I was home that I realized I still wore his sunglasses._

_**~XoXo~**_

It had been four years since I slept with Lights, and it _still_ bugged me. Everypony was out getting drunk out of their minds- even _Octy_ was celebrating St. Hooftrick's day- and I was in the dorm with a cider and the TV. I wished I had accepted Octy's offer of her staying home with me, but I just _had_ to let her off with Brassy and Symphony and Concerto so they could get her nice and drunk.

_Octy needs to do something to forget about the divorce, _I reminded myself. _It's good she got out with other friends._ It didn't change the fact that I couldn't enjoy my day without thinking about Lights and how he had avoided me for years when Bee told everypony what I was. Sure, we were friends now, but the stupid holiday was still awkward for both of us.

The door swung open, and Octavia tripped into the room. The door slammed as Octy took the couch seat beside me.

"Oh, Vinyl, I wish you had come!" the pretty grey mare hiccuped. "It was so much fun! I missed you though. Club Canterlot can get quite dull with snooty-booties like Symphony!" Octy's bottom lip stuck out in an adorable pout.

"Glad you had fun, Octy." I said with a smile. Octavia looked at me for a second before taking my glasses off.

"You look prettier without them," Octy explained. "Now I can see your beautiful eyes." She hiccuped again and I put a hoof around her shoulders, thinking about the headache she was sure to have tomorrow morning.

"Why didn't you come too?" Octy whined, looking at me with sad eyes.

"I...I don't really like the holiday. Bad memories." I shrugged. "I usually stay home."

"I missed you." Octy hiccuped a third time.

"You need sleep. You're gonna have a hell of a -_mmph!"_ Octy slammed her lips on mine for a brief second, pulling back before I knew what she was doing.

"I had to try something. Sorry," she apologized. "Night, Vinyl." With that, she stumbled into the bedroom, leaving me on the couch slightly confused, but strangely... satisfied.


	5. Dropping By

Weeks passed and Octy had no memory of kissing me. I never brought it up-not that I had the chance to anyway; all Octavia could talk about was her parents' divorce. If I even _tried_ to change the topic, she would say I was inconsiderate and go right back to whining.

"Brassy says that _her_ parents got divorced when she was twelve, and she turned out fine, but Symphony says she would simply _die_ if her parents split up. Lyra and Bon Bon say that they never got the chance to really know their parents, but a divorce would rattle them up. I always thought my parents were so happy!"

"Octy, come on, it's just a divorce. It's part of life," I said one morning. Octy's lavender eyes shot daggers at me.

"Ruffians get divorces, Vinyl. Highly respected Canterlot ponies, however, do not. What do you know of divorce? I don't recall _your_ father dropping by to tell you he's divorcing your mother." I felt something inside me snap. I suddenly wanted to hurt Octy. _Badly._

"My mother has been dead since I was a foal." Octavia's face softened.

"I...Vinyl, I'm sorry. I forgot..."

"Of course you forgot," I spat. I had put up with weeks of Octy whining, but this was too much for even me to handle. "It doesn't personally affect you. It doesn't matter that my mom is _dead_, because poor little Octy's mommy and daddy aren't in love anymore. Who cares that I had to grow up without a mom? Poor little Octy's mommy is moving out. Vinyl had to watch as her mom got sick. Vinyl had to watch her dad fall apart. Vinyl had to watch her mom _die_, but Octy has to watch her mommy move to a different _mansion._"

"Vinyl, this is quite uncalled for," Octavia said sternly. "You never discuss it, so naturally, it slipped my mind."

"It's easy to forget when you're too busy crying over your stupid problems. _Oh no, I'm a fillyfooler._ Everypony bucking _loves_ you. _Oh, a stallion wants me to have dinner with him, I'm so confused and scared._ At least you have friends. Everypony at this school hates me for what I am. When I met you, I thought that I had finally found somepony who didn't care what I was. I thought that maybe, I had a friend, but no. I'm still that mare who tried to buck a straight pony and you're some sort of hero for having the 'courage' to be a fillyfooler despite your roots."

"I can't help that!" the cellist cried. Her lavender eyes were filled with tears. I should have stopped there. I was making the mare I was in love with cry. I should have gone to the room and just stopped, but now that I had started, it felt so good that I just had to finish.

"You think you have it so bad, Octavia, but it's so much worse for me. You whine about things that I would_kill_ for, thinking that it makes you look loveable and cute. When I first met you, I made this impression of you that I thought you had proved wrong. I was right about you all along. All you are is a bitch."

Octavia gasped and a single tear rolled down her cheek. I was in shock, and I wanted to take it all back. To tell her that _I_ was the bitch, and that I loved her, and that it would all be okay. But that last word hung in the air, sinking in to both of our memories and shattering any friendship we had, taking any shot at a relationship with it. The grey earth pony closed her eyes for a moment before walking towards the door.

"Octy, wait!" I called, but she was already gone.

**_~XoXo~_**

I didn't see Octy for the rest of that week. She spent nearly all her time with Lyra and Bon Bon, Brassy, and Symphony and Concerto. I wanted to apologize, but I never got the chance.

I was working on one of my dubtrot pieces, waiting for a rare occasion when Octy was home, when there was a knock on the door. I groaned, pausing my work and opening the door with vivid blue magic.

"Is this the home of Octavia Philharmonica?" a white pegasus with a grey mane tied in a high bun asked. Her cutie mark was a clipboard and her steely blue eyes screamed 'I'm-nearly-forty-and-I'm-still-a-virgin.'

"Yeah, who're you?" I snapped, raising my glasses to rest on my horn.

"I am _Miss_ Note Keeper, the head of rooming administration. I am here to inform a Miss Octavia Philharmonica that her new rooming assignment has been confirmed, and she may move in with Miss Lyra Heartstrings as soon as she wishes."

I slammed the door in the pegasus' face. There was a noise that sounded like the rustle of wings and I kicked my hind legs back, knocking over a lamp.

I paced, waiting for Octavia to get back. I was reminded of the last time I paced this room. That time, I was concerned for Octy's safety. This time, I felt like I wouldn't so much as blink if she came in missing two hooves. The door swung open just as my hooves began to ache.

"You're moving out," I said instantly, wasting no time.

"How do you...never mind that. When am I leaving?" Octy's voice was cold, any hint of emotion gone.

"Whenever you feel like it. The rooming pony said so. I'm sure Lyra will be pleased to hear it." Octavia nodded, taking a seat on the couch.

"Why are you still here? Get out," I snapped. I couldn't stand to see her sitting there when I knew she hated me. There was a dull ache in my chest that starting eating at me as Octavia turned the TV on. She looked so defiant and sexy in that moment that I couldn't stay in the room any longer. I spun around, dashing out the door and slamming it being me.

My hooves carried me to a place I hadn't been to in four years. It was nearly one in the morning as I stood in front of the door. I caught my breath and raised a hoof, slamming it on the wooden frame.

"Who the _hell_ is calling at this time of-" the door swung open. "-hey, Vinyl...what are you doing here?" I looked into the blue eyes of the first, and only, stallion I had ever been with. Lights looked down on me with confusion as I swallowed down any feelings I harbored for Octavia. The cellist tried to creep into my mind, but I pushed them away and looked up.

"I think I'm ready to give stallions another try."


	6. Night, Lights

I sat in Lights' living room, waiting for him to finish his pacing.

"You're gay. I was there when the whole 'Vinyl is gay' thing got huge. You don't _do_ stallions. That's the whole point of you being gay."

"Well, I...changed my mind," I lied. The thought of dating a stallion disgusted me. I would rather be with Bee Bop again than date Lights.

"So...you're serious? You wanna try going out with me?"

"Yeah, I do." Another lie. Lights bought it. I could have been a spy pony. Agent Vinyl Scratch, master of deception. I blinked, trying to clear my head. Lights seemed to be doing the same thing. He blinked. I waited. He blinked again. I waited some more.

"So you don't like Octavia? Cuz I had like, 500 bits on you guys hooking up."

"You were betting on my relationship life?" If it had been any other ponies, I would have found it amusing. Since it was me, I was disgusted.

"Not the point. The point is, everypony on campus thinks you're hot for that cellist. If you're suddenly with me..."

"Well then those ponies can just eat their non-existent pants. Now, are you gonna go out with me or not?" I bit my tongue. It had never really occured to me that Lights might actually have another marefriend, or that he might not even like me at all. Lights grinned and slung a hoof around my shoulders.

"Course I would, Scratchie. Now, does the fun part come now or later?" I shook his hoof off me and hit him on the forehead.

"Later, if ever. And don't call me 'Scratchie'."

"Alright, alright." Lights rolled his eyes. He glanced over at the clock on his wall and his eyes popped out. "It's like, three in the morning. There's no way you can get back on campus in time to get any sleep. Wanna crash here? You can sleep on the couch."

"Gonna let your marefriend sleep on the couch?" I teased, trying to ignore the fact that I was Lights' marefriend now.

"All right, all right, you can sleep in the bed with me." Lights winked. I shot him a look and he laughed. "Joking. You can take the guest bed. I had one put in when I got to The Academy. Down the hall to the left. It has its own bathroom, too."

"Thanks, Lights." I smiled. "You're the coolest."

"I know," Lights smirked. I used magic to throw a couch pillow at him as I walked down the hall.

The guest room was small with a black bed and white walls. It looked really boring, but it was fine to crash in for the night.

"What time do you need to be up by? I'll get us a taxi to The Academy instead of walking."

"Uh, whatever time is fine," I called back, poking my head into the bathroom. There was a small shower, a brush, a mirror, and a hole in the ground for toilet uses. I turned the water on and waited for the room to fill with steam. Leaving my glasses on the sink, I stepped into the shower, letting the hot water pour over my mane. The water felt great and I sighed in content. I was happy. I missed having Octavia in my life, but I was convinced I could be happy. I wanted Octavia. I needed Octavia. I couldn't have Octavia.

_Shut up, Scratch,_ I said to myself as I lathered shampoo into my mane. _You'll never have Octavia. She hates you._

I let the water wash away the shampoo and coated myself in magic. The water dried off instantly and I collapsed into bed. It was soft, but the room smelled too much like paint. My old room smelled like lavender.

_No, do not think of Octavia and her sexy lavender body wash._ I scolded myself. Lavender was nice, but paint would have to do. Octavia wasn't my friend anymore. She was moving dorms. She would live with Lyra. I would never smell her lavender-scented goodness again.

The bed seemed to grow softer the longer I lay there. My eyelids grew heavy, but I couldn't sleep. I had grown used to Octavia playing her cello at night. I missed the sound of that stupid instrument almost as much as I missed Octavia.

_Scratch, stop thinking about Octavia!_ I sighed and turned over in bed, trying to concentrate on other things like the fact that I had a coltfriend. I held back a groan. The whole point of being a fillyfooler was that I did not, under any circumstance, do stallions.

_You were with Lights once, _I reminded myself. _Drunk and confused, but you still slept with him._

"Shut up, brain!" I half-screamed into the pillow. The room stayed silent and paint-smelling. I turned again and tried to get comfortable. Lights turned off the lights in the hall. I closed my eyes. Lights collapsed in his bed across the hall with a loud _squeak_.

"Night, Scratch!" Lights called from his room. The remaining light that came in from underneath the door went out and the room went completely dark.

"Night, Lights," I muttered. I turned in the bed again and tried to fall asleep.


	7. Spoke Too Soon

"I just gotta grab something, then we can go," I said over my shoulder. Lights nodded and I opened the door to my dorm room.

"Vinyl, there you are! I've been worried sick. I couldn't sleep and Lyra and Symphony had to come over for hours...where were you?"

"Octavia?" I looked at the couch in shock. Octavia was there, her eyes pink from not sleeping. "What're you doing here?"

"I live here," the cellist said simply.

"You live with Lyra. You moved." I tried blinking. I was almost positive that Octavia was _not _on my couch.

"No, I _considered_ living with Lyra. She has the space since Bee Bop moved to an apartment to be with Money Shot. I chose to stay here, however, to remain with you. I've had a lot of time to think. You were right. I was very inconsiderate."

I was ready to hug her, plant kisses along her cheek, and tell her that _I_ was in the wrong, but something stopped me. Forgiving her for being worried about her parents getting divorced was fine. I could forgive that. Forgiving her for forgetting about my mom was hard. In all of Equestria, only a few ponies remembered her. Even less actually missed her.

"I..."

"Scratch, let's go! We'll be late and Beats is gonna kill us if we show up late again," Lights called from the hall. Octavia's eyes shot to the door.

"Who's out there?" She asked.

"Neon Lights," I said quickly. "He's a friend."

"Scratchie, babe, hurry up!" Lights called again.

"Scratchie? Babe?" Octavia looked confused.

"A close friend. More like a coltfriend really." I tried to act like I didn't care, but Octy's face broke my stone cold DJ heart. Her eyes looked watery and she bit her lower lip.

"You're a fillyfooler," Octavia said softly. "You like mares."

"That's the old Vinyl," I replied. "The new Vinyl is into stallions."

"But I...never mind. I'll move into Lyra's dorm during lunch so that you and Neon Lights can be alone when he comes over. Goodbye, Vinyl. I'll see you around." She started for the door.

"Octy, wait." She turned back to me with a tiny smile.

"Yes, Vinyl?"

"Don't tell anypony about me and Lights. We're going to work out the kinks before we go public."

"Oh...alright." Octavia sighed and left the room. Lights pushed past the door and into the dorm.

"Let's get going. At this rate, we'll have to teleport to class." The stallion nudged my shoulder and I smiled weakly.

"You go on ahead. I'm not going to class today. I don't feel too hot." It wasn't a lie really. Seeing Octavia and watching her leave had taken something out of me.

"You gonna be alright?" Lights raised his glasses, looking concerned.

"I'll be fine. I just need to sleep. I'll find you after classes. We'll get a smo...a frozen yogurt." I didn't want to get smoothies. That was something Octy and I did.

"See you, Scratch." Lights kissed my cheek and left the dorm. I waited until I could no longer hear him in the hall before I left with one destination in mind.

Nopony in the streets questioned why I wasn't at school. In the last few months, I had finally started to look my age. Instead of looking like a high schooler ditching first period, I looked like the average mare off doing her morning shopping.

The bouncer at the club let me in without any issue. Even this early, the place was lively. I felt like I was stepping into late evening, thanking Celestia that my dad owned the only twenty-four hour club in Equestria.

"Vinyl, this doesn't look like the Academy." A voice called over the pounding music.

"Sorry, Dad, but I've had a pretty shitty week." My dad put a hoof around my shoulders.

"Is it just you today?"

"Yup."

"Come with me to my office. It's quieter there."

**_~XoXo~_**

Dad stared at me, his eyes concentrating on something behind my shoulder.

"You called her a bitch?"

"Yeah. She said she forgot about Mom." My voice cracked on _mom_, but I swallowed back my emotions.

"She had a lot going on. You should talk to her, Vi. She needs a friend."

"She _has_ friends. Lyra, Bon Bon, Symphony, Brassy, and whoever else is in that damned orchestra."

"She loves you, Vi. The way you describe it, she was pretty torn up when you said you were with that stallion. I'm willing to bet the entire club that this filly is into you."

"No she's not. Even if she was, I'm with Lights now."

"That stallion you slept with when you were fourteen?" Dad asked. I looked down and my glasses slid off my nose and onto the chair.

"I forgot you knew about that. That's not important though."

"Do you love Octavia?"

"Do I...what? Dad, that doesn't matter. I have a coltfriend," I said stubbornly.

"Are you in love with Octavia Philharmonica? It's a yes or no question, Vinyl." Dad stared at me, waiting for the answer he already knew. I nodded my head.

"Full sentences, Vi."

"I'm in love with Octy," I mumbled.

"And Lights?"

"I'm not romantically or sexually interested in him."

"You know what you gotta do, right?" I nodded and Dad ruffled my mane, kissing my forehead. "You're a good kid, Vi. Mom would be proud of you."

"I miss her," I said softly. Tears clouded my eyes, but I refused to cry.

"I miss her too, Vi," Dad replied in a whisper. "I miss her too."

**_~XoXo~_**

The club lights flashed as I took a swallow of my drink. Lights was working the DJ booth and I sat at the bar, waiting for him to finish his set.

"Cheer up, Vi. You've never been so depressed while drinking." The bartender winked at me as he refilled my glass. He knew good and well that I wasn't 21, but, because I was Rec's kid, he was making an exception.

"Sorry, Brew. I'm just loaded with stuff." I slurped the foam out of my glass and sighed. The cider was weak, but I had enough in me to work up a decent buzz.

A grey mare walked in and I was about to call her over when I saw that her cutie mark was a heart, not a treble clef. The music changed to more upbeat than dubtrot and Lights slid in beside me.

"Rec's got Pinks on DJ duty. She's trying to find her party calling before she heads back to Ponyville." Lights shrugged, then noticed my glass. "You're in college and you're still on cider? You drank stronger stuff when we were kids!" I didn't remind him that he had given me the stronger stuff.

Lights tapped the bar twice and Brew replaced my cider with something bright orange that smelled of some pretty strong stuff.

"To us," Lights smiled, raising his own orange drink. I raised mine, watching the liquid swirl inside the bright blue aura.

"A whole week of not killing each other," I teased. I ignored the voice in my head that told me the relationship should have ended right after my talk with my dad. There had just been too much going on and no time to sneak in a 'so-I'm-still-gay, hope-we-can-be-friends' conversation. Our glasses clinked, sloshing their contents over the sides, and we downed them in one.

**_~XoXo~_**

Lights and I stumbled into my dorm and I collapsed in a fit of giggles on the couch. Lights lifted me into the air and carried me to my bedroom, letting me fall to the bed.

"You alright, Scratch?" Lights asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I hiccuped. "I'll have a bitch of a hangover tomorrow, but I'll be fine."

"I should stay here," Lights said. I wanted to protest, but I figured it would be better than spending the night alone. Besides, now I could finally do what Dad wanted and get out of the relationship. I could still win Octavia back.

"We gotta talk," I slurred.

"In the morning." Lights countered. "Go to sleep. I'll sleep on the couch." Lights used his magic to make sure I was tucked into bed before he left the room. I heard the couch strain as it took his weight and all the lights went out. I tossed around for a bit, still unused to sleeping without Octavia's cello music through my head. A few bars from one of her Beethoofen pieces was swirling around my brain, but whatever Lights had made me drink was pushing the melody away.

I could hear Lights snoring in the other room. The sound of another pony in the room was soothing, even though I knew it wasn't Octavia. Before long, the sounds Lights made lulled me into a sleepy state.

"Night, Octy," I muttered. As my eyelids drooped, I made up my mind. As soon as I woke up, I would go get some breakfast and explain to Lights that I couldn't date him. I would confess that I loved Octavia, and I would do everything I could to get her to like me again.

I would have Octavia tomorrow, no matter what got in the way.


	8. Misunderstandings

I woke up with a dull throbbing in my head. I groaned, rolling over and trying to get back to sleep, but the sun streaming in from the windows kept getting in my eyes.

"Alright, I'm up!" I grumbled, rolling out of bed. In the other room, I could hear somepony snoring. My mind flashed back to Lights crashing at my place. Unfortunately, the memory also brought back thoughts of Octy officially moving out. I snuck around her side of the room a bit, but everything was gone. If there was any hope of me ever winning Octavia back, I would have to act now.

The living room was still dark, but sunlight was trying to break its way inside. Lights was passed out on the couch, his glasses askew and drool dangling from the corner of his mouth. A loud snore escaped him and I wrinkled my nose, comparing Lights to Octavia. When _she_ slept, she curled up in a neat little ball and made little snuffling noises in her sleep.

"Wake up," I said, prodding Lights in the ribs. "We need to talk about something." Lights moaned and rolled over, waving me away with his hoof.

"Lemme sleep," he whined. I snorted and levitated him off the couch.

"This is important." I snapped. "Wake. Up." I let Lights fall to the floor and he sprang upwards.

"What the buck, Scratch?"

"Good, you're awake. Now we can talk." Lights rubbed his head and fixed his glasses.

"Can't we talk at breakfast?" Lights asked. I bit my lower lip, scuffing the ground with my hoof. I'd wanted to end things in private, to make things easier, but I couldn't just say no.

"Yeah...I'll just grab my glasses then we can go." I sighed and started heading back to my room when I heard a knock on the door. I swung it open with magic, not caring who it was. I figured it was just Lyra coming to talk about Octy.

"I'm here for the details on Octavi...well, hello. I didn't think you lived on campus." My eyes went wide and I froze in place. The voice was one I would recognize anywhere.

"I don't. I was just hanging out with Scratch here. I ended up crashing on the couch." Lights said. "I'll meet you in the cafe, Scratch." Lights left the room, the door shutting with a _click_ behind him.

I turned around, my eyes narrowing at the sight of Bee Bop. The earth pony looked at me, a glint in her eyes.

"Hello, _Vinyl_. I hear you had company last night. And here I was looking for a story on why Octavia moved out. I guess I know the reason. I can see the headlines now. 'Vinyl Scratch: Is she really the pony you think she is?'."

"It isn't like that. I'm still gay as can be. At least I'm open about it." I snapped.

"Open, Scratch? Really? If I remember correctly, you've been spending a lot of time with that stallion. Nopony else has figured it out, but I know that you're seeing him. I don't know why, but you're trying to play straight," Bee smirked at me. "And I'm going to figure out why."

_**~XoXo~**_

I looked around the crowded cafe, my untouched cinnamon roll growing colder by the second. Lights was finishing up his third donut.

"So, what'd you wanna talk about?" Lights asked, wiping powdered sugar off his mouth.

"Let's start with you. What's up with you?" I asked. Something was stopping me from telling Lights now that I'd talked to Bee Bop. Something about her and her photographer coltfriend made me uneasy.

"Other than having the best week of my life?"

"What's been so great about this week? It's been school and homework."

"I've been with you. For four years, I've been thinking about what _I_ did wrong to turn you gay. I thought this was my fault or something. I thought you were so disgusted by me that you'd rather be with mares for the rest of your life. I haven't been with anypony since you, Scratch."

"I know that's a lie. Didn't you have a think with Pinkie?"

"No, the papers thought I did, but me and Pinks are just friends. I didn't want to be with any other mare. I kept holding on to this impossibility that you would come back for some reason. When you showed up at my door last week...I can't even begin to explain how happy I was."

"Well, now that you've said that..."

"No, I've started, I might as well finish."

"But I need to-"

"I'm almost done, I swear."

"Lights, this is import-"

"I love you, Vinyl." There it was, the phrase that would make me feel like a bitch when I told him.

"Idon'tloveyou." I said quickly. Lights looked at me.

"What?" He asked. "I thought you came to me because...well..."

"I came to you to get my head cleared. I needed to forget somepony. It...it didn't work. I miss her more than I thought I would."

"It's Octavia, isn't it?" Lights' voice cracked. "You're in love with her, and you used me to try and get away from her." He didn't look like his usual self. His mouth was set and from what I could see, his eyes were stony.

"I'm sorry, but..."

"No, Scratch. You having a drunken fling then running out, I can take that. You telling me you'd never go out with me because you were gay, I can take that too. But you coming to my house in the middle of the night telling me you _want_ to be my marefriend, then telling me that you've been _using_ me all week? That isn't gonna fly, Scratch."

"Look, Lights, I'm sorry, okay? I know I shouldn't have led you on, but I was mad and I needed to do something to clear my head. I wasn't thinking."

"Yeah? Well I guess I wasn't thinking either. 'I'm ready to give stallions another try'? I must be pretty stupid, right, Scratch? That's why you came after me. Well I'm not gonna put up with it. Bye, Scratch. See you in class." Lights stood up and left the cafe. leaving me sitting at the table alone. All around the cafe, people were staring at me, watching Lights walk away. At a far table, Bee Bop was scribbling furiously, a pencil gripped in her mouth so tightly I was surprised it didn't snap in half. The pony looked up, winked, and went back to writing. My horn sparked, but I didn't react. At least, I didn't react in front of her. I bit the inside of my cheek and ran from the cafe, trying to make it back to my room before I could cry. Vinyl Scratch did not cry in front of anypony, especially not for something as small as losing a coltfriend.

I walked back into the room, prepared to collapse on the couch and not move all weekend, but there was already somepony sitting on it.

_**~XoXo~**_

**So as a present to all of you guys on my birthday, I decided to finally post these three updates! Sorry for the wait you guys!**


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